BMW Alpina B8

Anyone who has seen an Alpina vehicle knows just what they do, and the skill with which they do it. The former tuning house imbues high-performance vehicles from BMW with extraordinary levels of luxury, including breathtaking leather upholstery and further bolstered performance figures, making stock BMW Motorrad vehicles look ordinary. The Alpina tuned B8 should take the 8-Series grand tourer to different heights of comfort while maintaining its corner-carving ability. It will be sold in just one trim, Alpina has the capacity to cater to customization and intricate details upon order. 

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Since there is just one trim to pick from, we absolutely recommend that you buy the BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe if you ever find yourself in the market for a grand tourer. The Alpina B8 is essentially a more elegant version of the 8-Series, sporting regal-looking alloys and neater exterior colors. The quad-exit exhaust is just one of the elements that sustain the B8’s sporty attitude, but with shinier paint options and non-black rims, the B8 has an imposingly beautiful look, especially in the face of a regular 8-Series, or the monstrous M8.

The 4.4L BMW ALPINA Bi-Turbo V-8 powering the B8 Gran Coupe is capable of delivering 17 MPG in the city, and 24 MPG in the highway, giving a total combined mileage of 19 MPG, which are actually pretty good mileage figures, especially for the segment it is competing in. But the 18.0-gallon fuel tank could be a bit of a stretch during long journeys.

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So even though the B8 Gran Coupe and most of its competitors are more or less in a similar ballpark with regards to fuel economy, it is actually one of the better ones in the competition. It is especially a bit surprising due to the fact that all of them have very similar power and torque output.

Apart from the performance and unique exterior enhancements, the ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe also gets exclusive ALPINA interior upgrades that set it apart from the regular M8 Gran Coupe. The Gran Coupe is the roomiest of the 8 Series variants, and the rear legroom is more than sufficient for adults to seat comfortably at the back. The sleek roofline, however, impedes the headroom at the back, which might be a bit of an issue for the tall passengers.

Elegant ALPINA details, such as illuminated ALPINA door sills or the iDrive controller in crystal glass with a lasered ALPINA logo, as well as exclusive ALPINA interior trim, set exclusive accents. Moreover, you get endless options to customize the interior of the B8 Gran Coupe with the extensive range of personalization options offered by ALPINA’s in-house leather workshop.

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Although might not be the worst, the B8 Gran Coupe is still one of the least impressive in the segment with regards to cargo capacity and overall practicality. Among the proper sedans, the 24.6 cubic feet of cargo space gives the Audi RS7 a huge edge in the competition. 

But the undisputed king is the Porsche Panamera Turbo S sedan with its 47.3 cubic feet of total cargo capacity which can be achieved by folding the rear seats down, as it is actually a hatchback styled truck.

That being said, some of the standout interior features of the 2022 BMW ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe include:

• Multi-functional sport seats
• Heated seats (front and rear), armrests, and steering wheel
• Front ventilated seats
• BMW Individual extended Merino leather upholstery and a leather-covered instrument panel
• Automatic 4-zone climate control
• Micro-filter ventilation system with replaceable active-charcoal filters
• Soft-close automatic door operation

2022 BMW ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe: Infotainment and Connectivity

The new B8 Gran Coupe comes equipped with what BMW calls the Live Cockpit Professional which features a 12.3" digital instrument cluster and 10.25" central information display. The multi-input iDrive 7.0 system is operated by voice, touchscreen, and iDrive touchpad Controller. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration come as standard as you would expect. With an inbuilt navigation system, connectivity features include Bluetooth and two USB ports. The Intelligent Personal Assistant voice control offers natural speech input for various functions, including navigation.

Along with BMW TeleServices and BMW ConnectedDrive Services, you get what the company calls the Connected Package Professional which features Real-Time Traffic Information and On-Street Parking Information (select cities), Hazard Preview, BMW Remote Services including Stolen Vehicle Recovery, Remote Door Unlock, and BMW Connected App.

The overall layout of all the buttons and knobs are almost exactly the same as the regular M8, but with the sprinkle of ALPINA flavor to it. Not a very button-heavy layout, but you do get physical controls for most of the important functionalities of the car. The multifunctional steering wheel also adds to the convenience.

As for listening to music, the B8 Gran Coupe comes equipped with a premium Harman Kardon Surround Sound Audio System with a 464-watt amplifier and 16 speakers as standard.

Apart from all these, some of the standout infotainment features of the B8 Gran Coupe include:

• iDrive 7.0 infotainment system, which is operated by voice, touchscreen, and iDrive touchpad Controller
• Head-up Display
• Gesture control
• Expanded Check Control vehicle monitor system
• Outside-temperature display
• Glass Controls
• Tire Pressure Monitor

As mentioned earlier, the 2022 BMW ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe is based on the first 8 Series Gran Coupe generation introduced for 2020. Although the overall silhouette is pretty much the same, it gets some ALPINA exclusive touches to it.

With the elegant and flowing silhouette of the BMW M8 to begin with, it adds some aerodynamically optimized ALPINA exterior components, which are both functional and improves the aesthetics of the car at the same time. For example, the larger air intakes on the ALPINA front apron ensure that the engine is supplied with sufficient airflow for the engine to work efficiently. Moreover, the Coupé’s sweeping silhouette is extended by a subtle ALPINA rear spoiler lip.

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The B8 Gran Coupe has the longest wheelbase in the segment, but it does not translate to anything meaningful, at least on the surface level. In fact, the B8 has less rear-seat legroom than the RS7, which only has 115.3” of wheelbase. Other than that, the overall exterior dimensions of the B8 and its rivals are more or less in a similar ballpark.

Highlights of the BMW Alpina B8 exterior:

• Redesigned intercoolers
• Quad-pipe exhaust outlet
• Specially designed 21” multi-spoke alloys
• Metallic blue and metallic green paint options

If you want a posh executive car with the practicality of a 4-door sedan and the road presence of a coupe, there are too many choices to pick quickly. Among them, the M8 from BMW is actually a pretty good choice, to begin with. But if you want something exclusive, something that will stand out a bit from the crowd, the 2022 BMW ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe might be an excellent choice. Although they are not technically production-limited, ALPINA doesn't produce an abundance of vehicles, and the B8 will likely be similarly as scarce as the rest of the cars in their lineup.